The instrument panel of a motorcycle or of a two or three-wheeled or similar vehicle in general is known to comprise one or more instruments or displays able to provide the user (the vehicle driver) with a set of information ranging from the mere calculation of the vehicle speed with consequent indication of the distance travelled, to more complex functions such as those processed by the trip computer (ie the on-board computer which indicates for example the distance travelled since the last fuel filling, the distance remaining, etc.) and/or specific measurements such as the operating temperature, the engine r.p.m., etc.
If the instrument panel comprises one or more individual instruments, these are usually constructed with traditional mechanical components with accuracy levels which are not always acceptable and are sometimes very low. Such components usually occupy a considerable space and are hence very bulky, this influencing the instrument panel dimensioning. It is often difficult to position it in the front region of the motorcycle, a region which is usually already of critical dimensions. Moreover such instruments are very fragile.
The advent of digital technology and liquid crystals have brought certain improvements in measurement precision and in size reduction, but have led to other limitations such as an increase in fragility, limits on operability with varying temperature, limitations due to low graphics power (the crystals being monochromatic) and a considerable reduction in contrast as the external light level increases. Consequently, even the use of this technology in instrument panel construction has not given the desired results. Such technology has hence not had widespread use.